Missiles



Oct. 29, 1963 R. F. FLETCHER MISSILES Filed April 26, 1961 FIG FIG.I.

INVENTOR Robert F. Fltcher United States Patent Office 3,108,540 Patented Oct. 29, 1963 3,108,540 MISSILES Robert F. Fletcher, Horsey, Va. Filed Apr. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 105,689

' 5 Claims. (Cl. 102-49) The inventionrelates to missiles, and more particularly to the provision of means whereby a casing severing explosive charge effects axial separation of the severed sections of said missile and/or may perform other functions in addition to the casing severing action.

The present specification and dra-wing include the disclosure of patent application Serial No. 26,772 tiled May 4, 1960, now abandoned, of which the present application forms in part -a continuation.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, -as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the invention, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view, partly broken into section, off a cartridge constructed in accordance with the invention, together'with a portion of the casing `of a missile.

FIG. 2 isa fragmentary enlarged section, taken at arro'w A of F IG. l.

In this drawing the numeral 1 designates the outer casing of a rocket or other missile, within which is secured a cartridge having spaced upper and lower plates 2 and 3, located intermediate/ly of the missile in peripheral contact with the wall thereof land separating the same into sections. Said plates are connected by 'bolts 10 or other blast resistant connections designed together with such plates to withstand dismemberment or distortion by the explosion of the charge to Ibe described. The lower plate is formed with an upstandin'g marginal rim 4, secured -to the casing 1 at 11. A ldiaphragm 5 is supported upon the rim -4 and lies midway :of the interval between the plates 2 rand 3.

In the preferred form of the invention a relatively thin sheet of explosive material forms a disk 6, which is supported upon diaphragm S and presents a substantially unbroken surface from its center to a periphery adjacent to the casing of the missile. Around this periphery, disk 6 is formed with two outwardly tdiverging walls, faced with an l,outer band 7 of highly fusible material such as copper. Each of these walls is of approximately the same thickness as that of the central portion of the disk, giving a preponderance of explosive material adjacent the casing. Diaphragm lies in supporting contact with the plane central portion of explosive disk 6 and has an angularly disposed peripheral portion in contact with the loweti `of the diverging walls of such disk.

An ignition initiator S is mounted on the upper cartridge plate and conta-cts the sheet explosive disk at its center. This initiator may be of the self-contained type, with delayed action, or it may be actuated by a separate timer, both arrangements being well known in the art. As shown a timer or arming bar, indicated at 12, is mounted in the section of the casing which is to be severed and is connected to ignition initiator 8 by la lead 13 which passes through a tube in the cartridge.

The space between the upper cartridge plate and the sheet explosive is lled by a layer of cushioning material 9, which, together 'with the resistant nature 0f such upper plate, will protect the assemblies of the upper missile section against damage by the severing explosion.

It will frequently be necessary to connect installations in `missile sections which are to be severed from each other, by suitable conductors of energy, in which case such conductors must `also be severed. These installations ma-y have any one of a number of functions and may be designated as regulators 14, tand `activators 15, connected by a conductor of energy 16.

Conductor 16 passes through the cartridge,'intersecting the diver-ging walls of the sheet explosive disk 6 and thus being subject to the lateral casing severing blast.'

In operation, the central portion of the sheet explosive disk, being ignited, will exert thrust upon diaphragm 5 and will also act as a fuse to ignite the material Of the diverging peripheral walls of the disk. The band 7 is fused by the resulting explosion 'and a concentrated blast of gases andl molten metal is directed against the wall of the casing 1, severing said wall. Meanwhile the explosion of the central portion of the sheet, having compressedV the cushioning material 9 and overcome the resistance of the diaphragm 5, will buckle said diaphragm and drive it violently 'against the lowercartridge plate, the open space between diaphragm 5 and plate 3 serving las an expansion chamber. This impact will occur substantially at themoment of the fracture of the casing 1, will assist in separating the two sections of said casing, by propellingfone of said sections in an vaxial direction, away from the other. An additional impact against the lower plate 3 will be caused by a secondary action of the explosionY of the diverging walls of disk 6. That is to say that, in addition to the jet directed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the missile, thisl explosion will exert force in a circular path, parallel to said axis, which, acting upon the narrow peripheral portion of diaphragm 5, extending at an angle to the central portion, will fuse this periphery. 'Ihe result will be not only to aid in buckling the diaphragm but to direct a circular jet against the bottom plate.

This utilization of the explosive casing severing means to effect separation of the severed parts is of advantage in securing synchronization of the two effects and it also allows for extreme simplicity of structure.

It may be noted that the separating cartridge is insertible into the missile as a prefabricated unit.

Obviously, a number of cartridges may be secured at spaced points along the missile, .and also, a nose portion of the missile is to be separated and thrown forward, a standard cartridge may be secured, in reversed position, at the proper point.

I claim:

l. In a missile having an outer casing;

a casing severing means comprising a cartridge secured in said casing and comprising end plates permanently secured to each other, a disk of explosive material extending across the cartridge and designed upon explosion to effect circumferential severance of the missile casing, and ignition means contacting said disk at its center;

said severing means being in combination with axial separation means comprising a collapsible diaphragm supporting said disk, formed of material substantially lighter than that of said end plates and normally separating said explosive material from the lower plate by an interval comprising an expansion chamber for the gases of combustion generated by explosion of said material ,and released by collapse of a diaphragm under pressure of said lgases.

2. In a missile according to claim l;

particularized in that said ldisk of explosive material is formed with a peripheral portion comprising two uuuwardly divergin-g wells;

and further p-articularized in that said diaphragm consists Aof a plane central portion and an angularly disposed peripheral portion in contact with one of the dive-rging walls of said disk.

3. In a missile according to claim l;

particularized in that said disk of explosive material is formed with a peripheral portion comprising two outwardly diverging walls, and in which the inter- 3 connected plates separate the space Within said oasing into sections; and further particularized in that said ignition means is mounted in one of said plates and extends into 5. A separation cartridge designed for insertion within a tubular structure;

comprising permanently interconnected end plates, a disk of explosive material extending across the one of said sections, a timer is mounted in the op- 5 cartridge and `designed upon explosion to emit la posite section, yand a lead from said timer tto the radial blast, and ignition means contacting said `disk ignition means passes through the interconnected at its center; plates. said disk being in `combination with means for Iaxially 4. In a missile having an outer casing, la regulating directing a portion of said blast comprising a coldevice secured to said casing `and an activating device lapsibile diaphragm supporting said disk, formed 0f therefor separately secured to said casing; material substantially llighter than that of said end a casing severing means comprising Ia cartridge at- Plates and normally separating said explosive maiached to Said easing, 10eme between the reguterial lfrom the lower plate by an interval Comprislating and the activating devices and containing e ing an expansion Chamber fOr the lgases of combusdisk of explosive material formed with a peripheral @on gellellalted by eXPlOSOIl 0f Said material and r6- pol'ltion comprising two outwardly divepging walls leased by collapse of the diaphragm under pressure terminating adjacent said casing, and ignition means 0f Said gasesconneoted to said disk; said severing means being in combination with an en- References Cited in the le of this patent ergy conductor connecting the regulating and activating devices and passing through the diverging UNITED STATES PATENTS Walls of the explosive material disk, whereby said 2,615,521 Ploulter 00L 2g, 1952 conductor will be severed by action of the ignited 2,654,320 Schmid .01ct 6, 1953 eXplOSiVe material, together with the severance of 2,684,030 Muskat et ai July 20,1954 the missile Casing; 2,699,721 K10@ Jan, 1g, 1955 and means for axially separating one or the severed 2,935,944 Sweetman May 10, 1960 portions of the casing lfrom the remainder of the missile. 

1. IN A MISSILE HAVING AN OUTER CASING; A CASING SEVERING MEANS COMPRISING A CARTRIDGE SECURED IN SAID CASING AND COMPRISING END PLATES PERMANENTLY SECURED TO EACH OTHER, A DISK OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL EXTENDING ACROSS THE CARTRIDGE AND DESIGNED UPON EXPLOSION TO EFFECT CIRCUMFERENTIAL SEVERANCE OF THE MISSILE CASING, AND IGNITION MEANS CONTACTING SAID DISK AT ITS CENTER; SAID SERVING MEANS BEING IN COMBINATION WITH AXIAL SEPARATION MEANS COMPRISING A COLLAPSIBLE DIAPHRAGM SUPPORTING SAID DISK, FORMED OF MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY LIGHTER THAN THAT OF SAID END PLATED AND NORMALLY SEPARATING SAID EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PLATE BY AN INTERVAL COMPRISING AND EXPANSION CHAMBER FOR THE GASES OF COMBUSTION GENERATED BY EXPLOSION OF SAID MATERIAL AND RELEASED BY COLLAPSE OF A DIAPHRAGM UNDER PRESSURE OF SAID GASSES. 